bjork

Technically this is two recommendations. Top of the Lake is a mini series about crime and corruption in a small, mountainous New Zealand town starring Mad Men‘s Elisabeth Moss. It’s on Netflix, so if you haven’t watched it yet, do it. Anyway, in one episode there’s a scene of all the characters gathered around a campfire as they sing an acoustic cover of Björk’s “Joga.” I’m a huge Björk fan, so I usually despise most covers because they’re terrible (example: 30 Seconds to Mars’ cover of “Hunter”–yikes), but this stripped-down version is actually quite good. Using only vocals and guitar, Kay’s version harnesses all the emotion of the original without the need for Björk’s bombastic production. So to recap, Top of the Lake: watch it. Björk covers: not always terrible.

The internet’s been abuzz with all things Bjork this week since the surprise release of her eighth album, Vulnicura. On top of that, later this year MoMA is hosting a Bjork retrospective exhibition chronicling her 20-year career. However, what people might not know (or at least people who aren’t hardcore fans) is that her career started way before her solo debut in 1993. Her “real” debut was in 1977 at the age of 11. Bjork scored a record deal after her piano teacher sent a demo of music to a radio station. The album, appropriately titled Bjork, sold a few thousand copies, enough to go platinum in Iceland. She was asked to make a sophomore album but declined, later revealing in interviews that she was disappointed that she didn’t have enough creative control. However, for a record made by a bunch of hippies in the ’70s, the album is actually really cute. Tracks like “Arabadrengurinn” and “Alta Mira” are infectiously catchy, while tracks like “Jóhannes Kjarval” shows off Bjork’s flute-playing skills. Check out the full thing here.